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| U.S. Boxers Dominate Mexico at the Opening Night of the Titan Games |
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After nine of the United States’ greatest Olympians, including boxing’s Evander Holyfield, had left the stage and the bright lights and loud music of opening ceremonies had concluded, the United States boxing team put on a true show.
It looked like the evening would not go as well as planned after a tough early loss by the United States’ Aaron Alafa of Visalia, Calif., to Mexico’s Raul Castaneda.
However the tide quickly turned when Team USA’s Raul Martinez of San Antonio, Texas, recorded a first round stoppage over Jose Cuadros of Mexico. His power was too much for his Mexican opponent and only 91 seconds into the bout, Martinez ended Cuadros’ night. Despite have boxed the previous week in Brazil, Martinez had plenty left for his first bout of the Titan Games, giving the United States their first victory at the event. After landing a vicious head shot, Martinez delivered a punishing body shot that clearly hurt his opponent, and although he was happy with the victory, he hoped it would have lasted longer than the minute and a half that the bout went on.
“I wish it could have gone a little longer, just to give the crowd more of a show, but you have to take the wins where they come,” Martinez said.
Bay area native, Jose Perez, Jr., started off the third bout of the evening strongly, taking a 6-3 lead over Luis Dominguez of Mexico. The second round started with a flurry of action from both boxers as the two traded punch after punch, finishing in a 13-11 lead for Perez after the second round. Perez stretched his lead to 20-13 after round three and looked to finish off his Mexican opponent in the fourth and final round. He continued his punishment in the fourth round, giving Dominguez a standing eight count. The Bay Area boy went on to take home the victory in front of his hometown crowd, 29-19.
“This was a perfect situation for me,” Perez said. “This is one of the best events that I’ve been to and I got to box in front of a lot of my friends and family. They really gave me a lot of support and it made it fun.”
Verquan Kimbrough of Aliquippa, Pa., continued the United States’ winning streak by stopping Mexico’s Emilio Perea in the second round of their bout. Kimbrough’s onslaught broke Perea down and caused his nose to bleed, leading to a referee stoppage. The Pennsylvania star used his power and quickness to outbox his opponent, giving the United States another win.
Pedro Monsivais of Mexico took a slim early round in round one over Rock Allen of Philadelphia, Pa., in the fifth bout of the night. Allen responded in the second round, backing his opponent down and his pressure paid off, giving Allen an 8-7 lead after two rounds. The lead stretched to 13-10 after three rounds and the bout ended in a 18-13 final score for the three-time national champion and a fourth straight win for the United States on the night.
Glendale’s Jesus Gonzales looked to continue Team USA’s winning streak in his first ever bout at 152 pounds. He got off to a strong start as many of his teammates had, taking an early 7-2 lead after round one. Gonzales continued his strong performance into the second round, causing a standing eight count after a flush shot to the face of Mexico’s Alfredo Angulo. Several more clean Gonzales punches landed in round three, giving him a 26-6 lead after three. Despite the big lead, Gonzales didn’t take it easy in the fourth round and went on to defeat Angulo, 37-10.
The final bout of the evening showcased Oakland’s Andre Ward, another Bay Area native and one of the nation’s top middleweights. The hometown hero lived up to his billing in the first round, taking a quick 8-1 lead. With the photo of his late father taped into his boot, Ward continued to pile on the points, leading 15-2 after only two rounds. Yet it wasn’t merely the points that propelled Ward to an impressive victory. Two vicious body shots ended the bout was stopped due to the punishment the Mexican boxer had endured. It was not only the memory of his father that inspired Ward, but also his faithful crowd.
“It’s the first time in awhile that I’ve boxed in front of my hometown crowd and it really inspired me to do well,” Ward said. “This is the first step to a trip to the Olympics in 2004 and I want to win a gold medal and bring it back to the United States.”
Team USA put on an impressive performance, taking seven of the eight bouts at the first-ever Titan Games. USA Team II will look to continue the United States run as they take on Puerto Rico on Friday night.
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